Iconographic approach to the notion of judgment

This article by Michel Evdokimov offers an iconographic study of the notion of judgment based on the classical Russian iconostasis, considered as a theological synthesis of the history of salvation. The author analyzes the five-tier structure of the iconostasis, paying particular attention to the Deisis tier, where the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist intercede on either side of Christ in majesty. The approach combines iconographic description, biblical exegesis and dogmatic reflection. The central idea is that the iconostasis shifts the emphasis from punitive judgment toward intercession and mercy, offering a conception of divine justice inseparable from love. On the theological level, the article shows how the Eastern Orthodox tradition, foreign to Western debates on purgatory and indulgences, develops an eschatology grounded in transfiguration, ecclesial intercession and an existential reinterpretation of the notion of hell.